March 13, 2020
Dear Merion Mercy Parents and Caregivers,
The ultimate goal of Merion Mercy Academy is to provide the best academic experience for our students. Your commitment to your daughter's education is exceptional and appreciated. Our faculty and staff have been preparing to continue instruction beyond the traditional classroom through distance learning (online). We will launch Mobile Merion Mercy and transition from the classroom to distance learning beginning on March 17, 2020.
Merion teachers, through the use of E-Boards, are used to operating in an online environment to enhance classroom instruction. Our teachers have been trained in best practices in distance learning and have developed assignments and assessments suited for a virtual learning environment. Rest assured, we are committed to keeping your daughter engaged and active so learning will continue. Academic excellence is our commitment; it is not a place. In an online learning environment, teachers do not seek to replicate the classroom experience but seek to engage students in different ways.
Distance learning through Mobile Merion Mercy, like traditional learning, requires the collaboration of teachers, students and parents. Your daughters will have a regular schedule that includes check-in times with their teachers. Teachers will track virtual attendance in a variety of ways, including: attendance during a live video session, sending or responding to an email, participation in an online chat, and completing assignments in Google Classroom.
As parents and caregivers, please work to ensure your daughter is attending school virtually. We anticipate that there will be unexpected challenges along the way, so please be patient as we work to resolve unanticipated situations.
The tips and tools offered here identify how to best support and promote continuous learning through Mobile Merion Mercy.
Responsibilities of Parents
- Maintain a positive attitude about online learning. Almost all students will engage in online learning in college. Treat this as a test run and embrace the experience.
- Understand your responsibility to support regular attendance.
- Check on your daughter's progress, especially at the beginning of Mobile Merion Mercy. As students become more comfortable and self-motivated with distance learning, this monitoring can decrease.
- Encourage your daughter to develop a schedule that prioritizes assignments by due date.
- Establish a home environment that promotes online learning. Dedicate a place at home where your daughter can engage in distance learning free from interruptions and distractions.
- Encourage and motivate. Praise successes. Surround students with examples of the positive things they are accomplishing.
- Urge your daughter to contact her teachers and request additional assistance when needed.
- Remind your daughter about academic integrity and the importance of turning in her own work.
- Use this as an opportunity to discuss proper online behavior and conduct.
- Continue to communicate with your daughter's teachers, counselors, and the Interim Assistant Head of School for Academic Affairs.
Responsibilities of Students
- Make sure you understand how to connect with each of your teachers. Give all technology a test run before the class begins.
- Embrace the opportunity to continue learning online and use this as an opportunity to expand your toolkit. Know there will be glitches, but approach them with good humor and a positive attitude.
- Stick to your academic schedule and be aware of check-in times with your teachers and respond to all emails on a timely basis.
- Join classes at assigned times or check-ins. Login in a few minutes before the class so you can handle any tech glitches that you may experience.
- Complete all assignments and stick to due dates. Be proactive with a back-up plan in case you're unable to access the Internet in your regular place of study.
- Seek help from your teachers when you need it. Just because you're not seeing them face-to-face, doesn't mean they don't care. They want to help you.
- Choose a quiet space in your home to attend your class. Make sure it has good internet connectivity, few distractions and good acoustics. (Your bedroom is not an appropriate space.)
- Follow the rules of NetEtiquette (Online Etiquette). If you wouldn't say it face to face, don't say it online. Use respectful behavior and language and wear appropriate clothing if attending classes via video.
- Be honest and use academic integrity by not plagiarizing or copying others' work.
- Remember, if it's on the internet, it's everywhere. Be careful how you respond.
- Remember that writing is contextual. Our written messages can be misunderstood. Strive for clarity and reflect on your writing before posting.
Responsibilities of Teachers
- Be ready to sign in a few minutes before the class begins. Give all technology a test run.
- Track virtual attendance in a variety of ways, including: attendance during a live video session, sending or responding to an email, participation in an online chat, and completing assignments in Google Classroom.
- Reply to questions within 24 hours except during holidays or weekends.
- Provide clear and concise instructions and assignments.
- Complete grading in a timely manner.
- Engage students in the online classroom by monitoring discussions to clarify students' postings, highlighting interesting comments and ideas, and providing insight.
- Provide the necessary components of successful interaction: explanation, demonstration, practice, feedback, and assessment.
- Provide a range of practice opportunities–from self-corrected multiple-choice items to free-form expression on a concept.
- Provide metacognitive, cognitive, and social strategies for instruction.
Mobile Merion Mercy Weekly Schedule
In the schedule below, the designated time slot for each class code indicates when teachers will meet online with students and/or when teachers will host virtual classes. Although teachers have a three-hour window in which to sync with students in a given period, we are not advocating for a three-hour virtual class. Teachers may be meeting with students individually or in small groups. The goal of this schedule is to provide a sufficient block of time to meet with students.